The app always faced an uphill battle in Congress because of its owner’s ties to China. But observers say TikTok’s complacency, tone deafness and hubris caused its lobbyists to lose its most important fight in Washington.
To political observers, all the warning signs were there — not least because both parties found TikTok such an easy target. | Michael Dwyer/APAfter a brutal, five-hour bipartisan grilling of TikTok’s CEO on Capitol Hill in March 2023 — where Democrats and Republicans took turns, its risks to children and its mental health dangers — the company emerged confident that its leader, Shou Zi Chew, had nailed his first public appearance in Washington.
It hired dozens of lobbyists from high-profile Washington firms and took on former Obama officials as consultants and advisers. TikTok and ByteDance, its Beijing-based parent company, spent at least $27 million lobbying Washington since 2019, according to federal records. Lewis had also watched the hearing, and came away convinced that he’d witnessed a “crucifixion” of the TikTok CEO. Headlines called it
Despite staffing up, observers say, TikTok’s Washington operation suffered a preventable loss as early as 2022. That’s when its lobbyists failed to convince Capitol Hill of the wisdom ofHelberg said Project Texas was “jokingly referred to as a ‘marketing project’ on Capitol Hill.” Lawmakers, he said, were far more interested in talking to TikTok representatives about the company’s ties to China than its data protection efforts. His claim was echoed by Sen.Sen.
A senior TikTok official, granted anonymity in order to preserve relationships in Washington, called Cantwell’s claims “completely false” and said TikTok’s lobbyists “have been talking to her directly for four years now.” Ahead of Chew’s March 2023 testimony in the House, just six weeks after the balloon was shot down, the company brought a small army of TikTok creators to Washington in an effort to pressure Congress to lay off the ultra-popular app. Rallying just outside of the Capitol, the creators — joined by a handful of TikTok-friendly lawmakers — blasted Congress for trying to take away their livelihoods.
Shou Zi Chew was forced to again testify before the House in January — this time on kids’ safety — but he did so in the company of other tech executives, with Zuckerberg taking many of the worst hits. | Jose Luis Magana/APOn Oct. 7, a few months after its lobbyists killed the RESTRICT Act, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. The sudden conflict kicked off a new headache for the app, as lawmakers in both parties claimed TikTok’s algorithm was boosting anti-Israel videos.
The TikTok legislation advanced unanimously out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 7, and passed the full House by a wide margin several days later. But many still believed the Senate would hold up the bill, in part over constitutional concerns expressed by Cantwell and other key members.
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